This is a quick, delicious, and nutritious meal for any time of the day. I always use day-old rice to reduce waste, get the gastrointestinal benefits of resistant starch, and prevent the rice from becoming mushy as I add the wet ingredients.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup kimchi (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup kimchi juice
  • 1 Tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tsp sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds
  • 1 green onion
  • 2 Tbsp gochujang (red chile paste)

Optional: 1 sheet gim (Korean roasted seaweed)

Begin by chopping your green onion into thin slices, about 1/8-inch thick, and set aside. Squeeze as much juice as you can out of the kimchi into a measuring cup. Use liquid from the bottom of the kimchi container to fill the cup. Next, roughly chop your kimchi into bite sizes. Combine kimchi juice and gochujang into a small bowl and mix into a thin paste.

Bring your pan to medium heat and add olive oil. Add rice and liquid mix to the pan and stir until the rice is fully coated. Heat uncovered for seven minutes, stirring occasionally, or until rice begins to brown on the bottom. 

Remove from heat and drizzle sesame oil over the rice. Incorporate the kimchi and stir until mixed thoroughly. Let the rice warm the kimchi. Kimchi loses its probiotic benefits if heated to over 115 degrees.

Spoon with a large utensil onto four plates or bowls. Sprinkle sesame seeds and green onion. 

Optional: slice 1 sheet of gim into 1/8-inch wide strips and garnish in the center of the dish.

Storing: If you make a large batch and want to store it, refrigerate for up to 5 days and freeze for no more than 6 months.

Tips

1. You never want to overheat your oils. Good oils like sesame and olive oil can be destabilized at high temperatures and create adverse health effects. Sesame oil adds antioxidants, a balanced ratio of essential omegas, and flavor to the dish.

2. Brown rice is a good source of resistant starch, especially yesterday’s brown rice. Resistant starches ferment on their way to the colon and become prebiotic. The combination of prebiotic brown rice and probiotic kimchi creates a synbiotic dish, where the two work together, in synergy, to improve health.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 197 calories, 5g protein, 4g fat, 35g carbs, Sodium 198mg

Also, a significant source of Thiamin (B1), Niacin (B3), Pyridoxine (B6), Pantothenic acid (B5), Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Selenium, Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Carotene, Choline, and Iron

Sherry is a nutritionist, gastronomist, and owner/operator of KQ Bistro. KQ Bistro is a product line of Korean artisan seasonings and kimchi (Korean spiced and fermented cabbage). Sherry’s always adding more products and is currently working to open a hybrid food manufacturing/restaurant facility in Arlington, TN. The facility also houses a social media studio that will be available for public use and live broadcast. Follow KQ Bistro on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Visit Kqbistro.com or Etsy.com/shop/kqbistro. Sherry is competing in the 2021 Favorite Chef competition until April 8th. You can participate for free and vote for her with the following link: bit.ly/votesherry.